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Synopsis State, Markets and Inequalities fills a major gap in the study of human development in India by addressing the role of social sector planning in alleviating deprivation.  It highlights the extent of deprivations across states and amongst social groups.  It also analyses the causes-inadequate allocations, wrong prioritization, bad targeting, unimaginative design and insensitive delivery.  Is there a mismatch between supply and demand? Is there an unexpressed latent demand or is there a problem of choice amongst various suppliers such as public, private and civil society.  Is deprivation caused by unique social conditions and the interplay of people's dissatisfaction with public services? Why do people turn to private schools or private health care? What accentuates, gender disparity even where services are available to both? How critical is education in ushering in other positive changes? People's responses are influenced by their perceptions on these issues and this volume is about the response of households and their ability to access services and exploit opportunities in the contemporary competitive world.  Based on a nation-wide representative survey of 33,200 rural households, the survey and the data it generated are used to create an in-depth multi-disciplinary, technical analysis of the causal factors in inter-group differentials and the interactions of market forces and human development in rural India, the book is valuable reference for planners, policy-makers, scholars and persons associated with NGOs working on current issues of human development.